How to Become a Notary in Nevada

Nevada's notary commissioning process trips people up because the steps cross three separate systems — a training portal, your county clerk's office, and the state's business portal, currently transitioning from SilverFlume to Project ORION — and they must be completed in a specific order. Upload documents out of sequence and the Secretary of State rejects your application outright, forfeiting your $80 in state fees and pushing your timeline back weeks.

Here is the complete sequence.

Eligibility Requirements

You must be at least 18 years old and either a Nevada resident or a resident of an adjoining state (California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, or Arizona) who works or conducts business in Nevada.

Felony convictions are disqualifying unless your civil rights have been fully restored and at least 10 years have passed since you completed your sentence, parole, or probation. Crimes involving theft, fraud, embezzlement, identity theft, or misappropriation of property are permanent disqualifiers regardless of restoration. Federal officeholders are also ineligible.

Non-residents need additional documentation: employer affidavits, a copy of the employer's Nevada business license, and (if self-employed) a self-employment affidavit.

Step 1: Complete the Mandatory Training Course and Exam

Go to the official Nevada Secretary of State training portal at training.nvsos-training.com and enroll in the "(Commission Course) State of Nevada - Notary Public Course." This is a roughly three-hour online course that covers NRS Chapter 240 and notarial procedures.

After completing the course, register for and take the exam on the same portal. It is open-book, multiple-choice, and requires an 80% passing score. If you fail, you must wait 24 hours before retaking it.

One detail that confuses people: the $45 training fee is not collected at enrollment. You pay it later, bundled with the $35 application fee, when you submit your application on the state business portal. The course appears free at first — it is not.

Step 2: Purchase Your $10,000 Surety Bond

Buy a four-year, $10,000 notary surety bond from any bonding company licensed to operate in Nevada. The actual premium is typically $35 to $50 for the full four-year term — not the $10,000 face amount. No credit check is required.

The bond protects the public against your notarial errors or misconduct. It does not protect you — that is what Errors and Omissions insurance does, and E&O is completely optional in Nevada.

Make sure the name on the bond matches your application name exactly.

Step 3: File the Bond and Take Your Oath at the County Clerk

This is the step most people get wrong. You must file your bond and take the constitutional oath of office at your county clerk's office before submitting anything to the state. The county clerk — not the county recorder — handles this.

Bring your signed surety bond and a government-issued photo ID. The clerk administers the oath (required under Article 15, Section 2 of the Nevada Constitution), records the bond, and issues you a Filing Notice (sometimes called a Clerk's Certificate). The filing fee is $20.

If you cannot appear in person, you can take the oath before any active Nevada notary, sign the bond on the "Principal" line, and mail the bond along with $20 and a self-addressed stamped envelope to the county clerk.

The Filing Notice is the critical document. It is what you upload to the state — not the bond itself. Uploading the raw bond document instead of the Filing Notice triggers an automatic rejection.

Step 4: Submit Your Application on the State Business Portal

With your training certificate and Filing Notice in hand, use the current Nevada Secretary of State business portal. If the transition is not yet live, log into SilverFlume at nvsilverflume.gov, navigate to Other Business Services → Notary, and select "Application for Appointment & Training Fee." If Project ORION Phase 2 is live, use projectorion.nv.gov and its current Notary work order.

You need to upload PDFs of four documents:

1. Your completed application form — printed, signed by hand with a wet ink signature, and scanned. Digital signatures, typed names, and stylus-drawn signatures are all rejected.
2. Your County Clerk Filing Notice.
3. Your training course certificate of completion.
4. Non-resident affidavits and supporting business licenses (if applicable).

The total fee is $80 ($35 application + $45 training), paid online. Processing takes four to six weeks. Incomplete applications are kept on file for one year.

Step 5: Order Your Stamp and Journal

Once approved, the Secretary of State issues you a Certificate of Appointment with your commission number. Only now can you order your official supplies.

Your rectangular rubber stamp must be no larger than 1 inch by 2.5 inches, include a border, and use indelible, photographically reproducible ink. It must display your name, "Notary Public, State of Nevada," your commission expiration date, your commission number (with dashes), and "Nonresident" if that applies to you.

Your bound journal must have preprinted page numbers and stay under your sole control. You are required to retain it for seven years.

What About Remote Online Notarization?

You cannot register as an electronic or remote online notary until your traditional commission is fully active. The process is strictly sequential — submitting an eNotary registration before your traditional commission is in "Good Standing" results in automatic rejection.

Once your traditional commission is active, the eNotary registration involves a separate training course, an exam, contracting with an approved technology vendor, and a $95 fee ($50 registration + $45 training) paid through the state business portal.

What This Costs in Total

The mandatory baseline for a traditional commission runs $160 to $235, broken down as: $35 application fee, $45 training fee, $35–$50 bond premium, $20 county filing fee, $15–$30 for a stamp, and $10–$55 for a journal. Optional E&O insurance adds $15 to $100 per year, and eNotary registration adds another $95 in state fees plus platform costs.

Our Nevada Notary Commission Guide walks you through each step with filing trackers and a county clerk directory, so nothing falls through the cracks.

See more Nevada guides →